


A World Alone

by TheoMiller



Category: Fantastic Four (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everyone Is Alive, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, M/M, School Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2015-11-21
Packaged: 2018-05-02 18:43:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5259581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheoMiller/pseuds/TheoMiller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben and Reed go to their high school reunion. Not much has changed in Oyster Bay.<br/>-<br/>All the double-edged people and schemes<br/>They make a mess then go home and get clean<br/>You're my best friend and we're dancing in a world alone</p>
            </blockquote>





	A World Alone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kyaku](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kyaku/gifts).



> I blame the mayor for this. Also, why is there not a tag for "AU where everything goes okay", none of those tags are exact for this. Ben Grimm Happiness Week, y'all. Special s/o to the mayor for catching me gETTING THE TOWN'S NAME WRONG GODS DAMN ALINE.

Delaney and Tyler were elbowing and whispering, which was a Bad Sign. Ben tried to steer Reed away before they could pounce.

That was, unfortunately, ineffectual.

Steering Reed was pretty much impossible, because he didn't register things like slight pressure and the implications of  _hey, let's go THAT way_ , and he was also gigantic, seriously, Ben watched him eat (or rather, not eat) growing up, he's still trying to figure out where his body got the calories to manage growing.

Not to mention, Delaney and Tyler were grade-A assholes who really liked mocking Reed. Apparently nothing had changed in ten freaking years.

"Hey, Richards," called Delaney as they passed, and Reed turned.

Ben gritted his teeth, squared his shoulders, and readied himself for getting thrown out of his high school reunion for punching these two. Probably by the same cop who'd driven him home in stony silence that time he and Reed blew up the gymnasium in middle school. Because  _nothing_ _had freaking changed_.

Reed looked between them, blinking in surprise and grimacing - because he didn't have a polite-hiding-hatred smile in his repertoire, Ben thought with a mix of exasperation and fondness. "Oh, hi, guys---Delaney, Tyler."

"Looks like the dream team hasn't broken up," said Ben.

"That's what I was saying," Delaney replied, looking pointedly between the two of them. "Who lives in whose mother's basement?"

"Oh, no, we have an apartment together in the city," Reed said. He looked both annoyed and bewildered; Ben wanted to laugh, but he also wanted to punch someone, so he couldn't really fault Reed for being torn.

"I'm sure your girlfriend loves that," said Tyler.

Reed frowned. "I---I don't have a girlfriend?"

"He knows that," said Ben, quietly. "He just wants you to admit it."

"Oh," Reed said. He paused. "They don't know---"

"Nope," Ben said. He popped the p, just to rub it in, because Delaney and Tyler were assholes, but they weren't dumb, they'd caught the exchange.

Delaney figured it out first. "A boyfriend?" She sounds incredulous.

"Yeah," Ben said, "and I love the apartment. Makes late-night booty calls a lot easier when all I gotta text him is 'come home'."

Reed had gone a teensy bit pink, but Tyler looked... both horrified and intrigued, and Ben remembered, a little late, his old theory about Tyler's really aggressive masculinity.

Delaney, however, had recovered already, so Ben's half-formed plans for an exit strategy dissipate when she said, "Did you ever finish that  _teleporter_?" Her voice is mocking, and Tyler snorts.

"Actually, I---" Reed began, proud and a little defensive. Ben had to stomp on his foot.

He leaned towards Reed. "Buddy, the NDA," he said, but loudly enough for Delaney and Tyler to hear.

Because, hey, he wasn't saying that they'd totally punched a hole in the fabric of the universe, gone through it, paused to take a picture for Johnny's instagram, and then come back. So he totally wasn't violating the very official NDA the government had made them sign by merely mentioning that there was an NDA. Ben could hardly be blamed if these people assumed things.

"Oh!" said Reed, and pushed his glasses up nervously. "Uh. You know, Delaney, I, uh. Couldn't figure it out. Yep. So I've just, y'know, been working on other things and have really just given up on that."

It couldn't have been better a response if he'd been acting along - actually, if he'd been acting, it would've been terrible.

Ben grinned. "Babe, I'm starving," he said, and led Reed away while Delaney and Tyler whispered furiously.

"I miss New York," complained Reed.

"Yeah," said Ben. "This isn't home anymore."

The only thing he can summon up any wistfulness about is gangly teenaged Reed with his crooked glasses. And he's got the grown up Reed Richards beside him, muttering about how _Baxter's_ parties always had little hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls and were therefore _superior_ , so he doesn't even have time for any nostalgia.

"We'll stop and get mini hot dogs on the way home," he promised.

**Author's Note:**

> ngl this is set in another verse but i haven't posted the main body of it yet so just. you guys just pretend this is a stand-alone. also ngl, these people are based on 100% Real People.


End file.
